"I Will Lead Humanity Into the Stars...""The Sworn Warned Me About You!"

The Ends Justify the Means

Background:

Captain Noah Bettis was crew chief of Athena 1, the doomed mission to establish a permanent base on Luna. Seventy-eight minutes into the flight, an unexplained power surge was recorded by the ships systems and moments later Athena 1 exploded.The United Stated was still mourning the loss of the Hercules' astronaut crew, when Captain Bettis appeared in the Oval Office and warned the President that he had been saved and contacted by a mysterious race of beings known as the Sworn, powerful entities from the Ninth Dimension, who wanted to save humanity by leading it into the stars. He demonstrated to the POTUS that he had been transformed into a cosmically powered being and began telepathically showing her his plan to save the world. However, the Secret Service and the metahuman federal agent known as Jaunt, arrived on the scene and were able to get President Green to safety.The Secret Services actions caused Bettis to go on a rampage through the streets of Washington D.C., where he was finally driven off by the Liberty Machine, a superteam sponsored by the FBI.Captain Bettis, now going by Apotheosis, has become the chief suspect in the kidnapping of several prominent experts in various fields and is believed to be formulating a plan to "save humanity from itself". The Vanguard encountered him in Buenos Aires and were able to prevent him from kidnapping noted physicist, Tara Baloo. However, Aphotheosis managed to escape.All ESCHELON agents should be on the lookout for Apotheosis. He is considered to be unstable and extremely dangerous. President Green has requested that all precautions to apprehend him non-fatally should be taken, if possible.

Monday, June 29, 2015

I haven't done one of these since January and quite a bit has happened in five months. I've picked up my output as I have some far reaching plans and I figured it was high time to kick this thing back into overdrive. I've also begun planning my posts and generally getting them done early, so that has helped me quite a bit.Outside the blog, I'm in a stretch where I'm working six days a week and am about to have another Magic: the Gathering prerelease weekend. And then we'll be going to Gen Con for at least a day.Summer moves WAY too fast.I'm also going to be honest and say that the last few weeks have been harder for me to manage my anxiety. Its been my biggest obstacle in trying to keep the blog on track and enjoy my life. Understand, I'm glad that generally I manage it pretty well and I'm very thankful for the problems I have. My family and I are very, very blessed and I try not to lose sight of that.For the future I'm working up ideas for new series', still trying to get some PDF compilations set up (and centralize them for download), and I'm honestly considering exploring Patreon. I don't do this for personal gain, but if some charitable souls want to share their sheckles with me, who am I to turn them down?

Raised alone by her father in the ruins of Zalesia, Evelyn Morgan Powers left her home in a fit of teenage rebellion.

Taking the name Evil-Lyn, she traveled Eternia, learning from many of its great masters the ways of magic and the dark arts. While searching for new ways to increase her power, she met and fell in love with an ambitious alchemist named Keldor and agreed to join his cause.

After Keldor was transformed into Skeletor, he lost all emotional attachments to Evelyn and she began to scheme against him. In a series of miscalculations, she helped release both King Hssss and Hordak from their interdimensional prisons.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Wondrous Item, artifact (requires attunement)The Golden Fleece has 2 luck points. Whenever you make an attack roll, an ability check, or a saving throw while wearing the magic item, you can spend one luck point to roll an additional d20. You can choose to spend one of your luck points after you roll the die, but before the outcome is determined. You choose which of the d20s is used for the attack roll, ability check, or saving throw.

You can also spend one luck point when an attack roll is made against you. Roll a d20, and then choose whether the attack uses the attacker’s roll or yours.

If more than one creature spends a luck point to influence the outcome of a roll, the points cancel each other out, no additional dice are rolled.

The Golden Fleece regains expended luck points when you finish a short or long rest.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

A Mind Flayer's cruelty knows no bounds. Sometimes, when they extract the brain of a victim, they will replace its lost sentience with a putrid portion of their own intellect to create a tortured and nefarious agent to wreak havoc in the wider world. Flayed Ones wield a fraction of an illithid's vile psychic gifts and a hatred of all life, their only goal is to wreak destruction until its brainless form is destroyed.

Mind Blast (Recharge 5-6). The flayed one magically emits psychic energy in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 12 Intelligence saving throw or take 12 (2d8 + 3) psychic damage and be knocked prone.

I'm importing the idea of Specialty Priests and channeling a bit of DnD 4E by treating them as Feats.

Specialty Priests of Beshaba

Doomaster Feat

Prerequisite: Cleric with Trickery Divine Domain

You have 3 doom points. As a reaction, whenever a creature within 30 feet of you makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a saving throw, you can spend a doom point to give target creature disadvantage.

Monday, June 22, 2015

Chopper is an intergalactic bandit, also known as Jitsu. He was broken out of Prison Starr by Keldor during the Great Unrest. In gratitude, he agreed to serve the Evil Lord of Destruction and stayed with him even after Keldor’s transformation into Skeletor. As a master of several forms of martial arts, Jitsu was often on the frontline in battle against Randor and his Masters. During the Battle for Gretori Bridge, he was wounded by his archenemy Fisto and had his hand replaced with a golden robotic implant by Tri-Klops. After Skeletor left Eternia for the stars, Jitsu took over Snake Mountain ruling it with an iron fist. As deadly as he is silent, Jitsu uses his chopping power to get his evil way!

Ki Strike (Recharge 5-6).Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 26 (6d6+5) piercing damage. And creatures have disadvantage on their attack rolls against Jitsu until the beginning of his next turn.

The artificial intelligence known as Anomaly was first encountered at the Bauhaus Nuclear Reactor in Germany seven years ago. The being literally appeared in the heart of the reactor and would have sent the reactor into meltdown if not for the intervention of ECHELON's Atlas One super team.While Atlas One was able to defeat and stop Anomaly, the Merovingian tragically lost his life during the mission. However, before Anomaly could be taken into custody, several operatives from the Order of the Basilisk--Maw, Granite, and Chasm-- arrived and were able to escape with the AI.For close to five years, Anomaly was a key factor in many of the Order's greatest success until he was finally defeated by the Emissary during a raid on the ESCHELON Aerofortress known as Alcazar.When ESCHELON finally took the AI into custody at the BIDENT, noted cyberpath, Doctor Henrietta Plex, was able to discern that Anomaly was from a future where it served as a general in the forces of the Invex Doctrine. The Doctrine was a conquering army of artificial intelligences that was trying to wipe out mankind and Anomaly was sent back in time to prevent the defeat of the Invex Doctrine by it's leader, the Primary Cortex. Dr. Plex noted that Anomaly is constantly looking a the probabilities of various world events and interfering when it believes it can alter its future to ensure the victory of the Invex Doctrine.During her third interview, Dr. Plex was severely injured when the Order of the Basilisk broke Anomaly out of the BIDENT. The AIs current whereabouts is unknown.

I've always been a big fan of Monte Cook's core ideas with the Cypher System, but have mixed feeling about how it works in play and have never been a fan of that type of resource management.In the past, I've mixed it with the Archmage Engine, but yesterday I realized that I could keep my favorite parts of the Cypher System and easily mix it with Icons' brand of FATE--to create Cycons.

So I start with a Graceful Nano who Bears a Halo of Fire:StatisticsMight Average (3)Speed Fair (4)Intellect Great (6)AbilitiesGraceful Specialized (+1)Nano Specialized (+1)Bears a Halo of Fire Specialized (+1)Stamina (Body + Mind + 2) 11Edge (Determination) 6Nanos roll their Statistics per Icons and gain a +1 to Intellect.Then all three Abilities are at at Specialized.Determination is known as Edge in Cycons and Nanos have 6.

Now we move onto a Honorable Glaive who Siphons Power:StatisticsMight Great (6)Speed Average (3)Intellect Good (5)AbilitiesHonorable Specialized (+1)Glaive Specialized (+1)Siphons Power Specialized (+1)Stamina (Body + Mind + 2) 13Edge (Determination) 3Glaives roll their Statistics per Icons and gain a +1 to Might and Speed.Then all three Abilities are at at Specialized.Determination is known as Edge in Cycons and Glaives have 3.Now we move onto a Foolish Jack who Talks to Machines:StatisticsMight Poor (2)Speed Incredible (7)Intellect Great (6)AbilitiesFoolish Specialized (+1)Jack Specialized (+1)Talks to Machines Expert (+2)Stamina (Body + Mind + 2) 10Edge (Determination) 3Nano roll their Statistics per Icons and gain a +1 to any Statistic.Then one Ability is at Expert level and the other two are at Specialized.Determination is known as Edge in Cycons and Jacks have 3.I realize this is a pretty rough conversion, I'd have the rules basically run with Icons and just use the 9th World as a setting. I didn't add Qualities, but if you are using them, I'd give each character three, per Icons.

________________________________________________Charge. If the minotaur aquamancer moves at least 10 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a gore attack on the same turn, the creature must succeed on a DC 11 Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 10 feet away and knocked prone.

Labyrinthine Recall. The minotaur can perfectly recall any path it has traveled.

Spellcasting. The minotaur aquamancer is an 6th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). The minotaur aquamancer has the following wizard spells prepared:

Quarterstaff.Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+1) bludgeoning damage.Water Whip (Recharge 5-6). You create a whip of water that shoves and pulls a creature to unbalance it. A creature that you can see that is within 30 feet of you must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 3d10 bludgeoning damage, and you can either knock it prone or pull it up to 25 feet closer to you. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage, and you don’t pull it or knock it prone.

Friday, June 19, 2015

I'm importing the idea of Specialty Priests and channeling a bit of DnD 4E by treating them as Feats.

Specialty Priests of Shar

Nightcloak Feat

Prerequisite: Cleric with Death or Trickery Divine Domain• You may cast the darkvision spell once with this ability. You regain the ability to cast this spell when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spells, and you cast it at its lowest possible level. • You learn the darkness spell. You always have it prepared, and it does not count against the number of spells you may can prepare each day.• You gain a +1 bonus to initiative and damage rolls while in darkness.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

• You may throw the mace to make a ranged attack against one target within 90 feet. It will automatically return to you at the end of your turn.• Gada has 4 charges per day. You may spend 1 charge to add 1d8 to any ability check, attack roll, damage roll or saving throw you make. "Gada is the main weapon of the Hindu god Hanuman, an avatar of Shiva."

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

You gain a +2 bonus to armor class and Dexterity saving throws with this magic item.

In addition, while attuned to the cloak, as an action you may enter the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa. You are visible on the Material Plane while in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet you can't affect or be affected by anything on the other plane.

You also gain incorporeal movement, which allows you to move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. You take 5 (1d10) force damage if you ends your turn inside an object.

Finally, as a bonus action, you may conjure a spectral blade that deals 1d10 necrotic damage.

The Red Door was given this cloak by a Druid of the Chthonic Circle known to use in their slave trade in Nesme.

Member of the Order of the BasiliskApex Predator"By the Leprous Lesions of Leph, I Curse You!"

Background:

The metahuman known only as Anathema, burst on the international scene four years ago, when she participated on a coordinated strike of BIDENT, an ECHELON Containment Facility under the Atlantic Ocean. She reportedly lead the raid by Jumpjet, Aperture, Spire, and Narwhal, all members of the Order of the Basilisk, a infamous team of assassins, to free their long-time comrade, Anomaly. Since then, she has been connected in at least seven other terrorist actions all over the globe and has twice battled Minuteman, Boston's legendary speedster, before narrowly escaping.She has demonstrated metahuman speed and willpower, short range teleportation, the ability to breath underwater, regenerative properties and the ability to spit a mucous substance to snare opponents. She is a trained martial artist and is believed to be a devoted student to the mystical teachings of Leph, Liege of the Last Level.ECHELON Agents should be aware that she has shown a willingness to kill and caution should always be maintained in confronting her.

Monday, June 15, 2015

The Zodiac Club is a highly exclusive social club in San Francisco that was founded in 1893. Originally, the Club was devoted to the study of theosophy and spiritualism, but it developed a reputation for debauchery and hedonism amongst the West Coast's most powerful.In 1911, Renee Padilecki, the heiress to the Viceroy Hotel empire, took control of the Zodiac Club and succeeded in moving it away from its infamous past and into a quiet and stately institution. What publicity they did garner was due to the many charitable works their members supported.Meanwhile, Renee used the Club and all of its resources to assure that any Zodiac member would loyally work to ensure each other's success.Over the decades, the Club's dominance grew from high society to private industry to the government and finally into organized crime.The Zodiac Club is the best kept secret in crime, even in the 21st century. Its uses its highly respectable members to shield itself and divert attention to more tempting targets for all of its nefarious activities.The Zodiac Club is invitation only and new members must be willing to donate 10 million dollars to the Club and sign extensive non-disclousure agreements with harsh punishments.It currently has thirteen lodges throughout the world, and its headquarters is still in San Francisco.The Club is lead by the Star Chamber, twelve members who set the agenda and guide it's machinations.Lady Aries - Renee Padilecki, who has used Prima Vitae to achieve immortality and currently poses as her own great-grandaugher, Rose. She is the leader of the Club.Lady Taurus - Judith Van Zandt, co-founder of Peach Computers. She is in charge of Antartica.Lord Gemini - Kurt Bloom, front man for the band Kismet and acclaimed songwriter. He is in charge of weapon assets.Lord Cancer - Nasir Touma, real estate mogul and founder of Sold.Com. He is in charge of Research and Development.Lady Leo - Ingrid Bunt, founder of Godiva Clothiers. She is in charge of counter-intelligence.Lord Virgo - Pierre Beringer, internet gossip columnist. He is in charge of intelligence.Lady Libra - Monique Washingon, Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court. She is in charge of Australia.Lady Scorpius - Meifen Kwan, CTO of Qin Computers. She is in charge of Africa.Lady Sagittaurius - Misaki Mori, CEO of Kabuki Motors. She is in charge of Asia and the Pacific Rim.Lord Capricorn - Len Epstein, legendary producer of World News Nightly. He is in charge metahuman assets.Lord Aquarius - Morgan DuBois, former mayor of Oakland. He is in charge of North and South America.Lady Pisces - Cheryl Hudson, supermodel and entertainment mogul. She is in charge of Europe.

The Lord of Avion, a civilization of winged simians who live high on the peaks of the Mystic Mountains, Stratos is a brave honorable warrior allied with King Randor. Although all Avions have the ability to fly using the magical Emerald Staff, many, including Stratos, have augmented their armor with rocket packs and jets to increase their speed and distance. As a member of the Masters of the Universe, Stratos fights bravely against the evil forces of Skeletor.

Ravi Beshear has always been the kind of guy that could talk his way into or out of anything. After finding himself working for a start-up company, Damage Control Inc., cleaning up the Five Burroughs after the alien invasion that the Avengers defeated, when his crew came across what was assumed to be unexploded Chitauri ordinance. Moments after locating the strange device his whole brain seemed to catch on fire and then he passed out.He awoke up at a Simon Innovations facility in Los Angeles to discover he had been in a coma for 11 months. He was the lucky one though, as the other two members of the crew, Jenna Lowell and Lilian Clay hadn't made it. They both suffered a subdural hematoma after being exposed to the device and passed away within hours.While Ravi was glad to be alive, he had a long period of rehabilitation and had to relearn how to walk. During one of his rehab sessions, his frustration got the best of him and a concussive blast emanated from his right hand, shattering one of the facility's huge windows--a shatterproof window designed to withstand an earthquake.It was then that he learned that a CRT had picked up some abnormal brain scans while he was comatose.He's remained with Simon Innovations and became their first recruit to the Force Works project. In many ways Ravi is the heart of the team, he's likable, smart, and never stops lightening the mood. A trait that is required more and more.

Friday, June 12, 2015

Most of the citizens of Nesme have lived within it’s walls their whole lives and are used to the hardships and horrors of the Trollmoors. Less than 200 hundred new citizens have immigrated to the city since its liberation from Duke Tiago of House Do'Urdern, but anyone who comes to the brink of the Trollmoors is either prepared for its labors or fleeing something. Either way, it makes for hardy folk who are prepared to stake their own claim in life and defend it until the end.

Nesme is known for breeding horses, mining iron, and exporting high quality steel arms and armor. While trade to and from the city has been slow to develop, the market is growing stronger and is helping to remind the Silver Marches that Nesme didn't fall. A stronger focus on agriculture has also been cultivated, and large sections of the city have been demolished and are being used to grow fruit, vegetables, and timber within the safety of the city's walls.

Much of the economic development is being overseen by Hugo Applerunner, a halfling with unusually small feet, quick hands and a quicker mind. Hugo is tall and trim for a halfling with blonde hair and gray eyes. Applerunner is a former companion of Kurtis Strong, who urged him to settle in Nesme and vouched for him to the Small Council. Hugo is a master negotiator and owns and operates the largest mercantile caravan operating within the region, The Half Moon Trading Company. He runs the caravan with his long time lover, Theta Zulquention, an elven transmuter. She is quiet, preferring to let Hugo be the face of their operation, but her instincts have been invaluable to their success. Theta is petite for an elf, with long flowing blue hair and light green eyes, she is cool and distant most of the time. Their caravan master is Sekhmehet, a dragonborn who has worked for the Half Moon for over five years. He is shrewd, competent and careful with brownish-orange scales and a jagged scar over his left eye. He has been promised full partnership in the Half Moon at the end of his current contract.

Aside from constant peril from trolls, bog blokes and bandits, the city faces two internal threats. The first is due to such large sections of Nesme being abandoned and involves groups claiming territory to run criminal operations ranging from smuggling, prostitution, slaving, and racketeering. While, Nesme cannot afford a full-time city watch and continue to pay the Riders, they have a strong volunteer unit, that is largely maintained by “Captain” Kurtis Strong, a former adventurer and renowned bounty hunter who settled in Nesme over a decade ago. Kurtis is close to 40, with thick, powerful arms, a long mane of jet black hair, a full beard, and the inability to remain quiet. Kurtis oversees, coordinates, and trains the citizens’ watch and has proven quite effective at it. He has been invited to the Small Council, but adamantly refuses.

The second internal threat is more subtle and complex. Soon after the city's liberation, Mordent Kane, a powerful wizard moved into and took over a there large uninhabited section of city . Kane, makes it clear to anyone who approaches his domain, that he only wants to conduct experiments in private and has no use for anyone’s company. He did agree to meet with Speaker Wilcot and First Rider DuMont and an agreement was reached that, that essentially allows Kane to lease his portion of the city on an annual basis. Aside, from aiding the city fend off a small force of cold giants, that has been the extent of his interactions thus far. Many wonder how the wizard manages without any apparent supplies coming in or going out of his section of the city. Several foolish interlopers have tried to infiltrate his domain and found themselves in one of “Captain” Strong’s cells, with minor injuries and no memory of how they got there. While Strong is dubious about Kane, he knows better than most that his victims could have met a far worse fate. Of course, rumors and stories abound about Kane and many of the city's misfortunes are blamed upon the mage. Mordent, himself is tall, imposing figure with long black hair and beard, streaked with silver. His eyes are deep, set and almost black, he usually wears a deep green robe with several charms worn around his neck or on his fingers and is never seen with out his staff, a gnarly length of ash, close to six feet in length. Mordent is a Conjurer and former member of the Arcane Brotherhood who lost prominence and fled Luskan and the Brotherhood for good. He is content to conduct his research and be left alone.

While the Trollmoors are rife with danger, Nesme’s newest external threat has only arrived on it’s borders in the last six tendays. A half-giant sorceress, that the locals know as the Trollmother, has spent the last two moons enchanting and organizing the local trolls that haunt the bog outside the city. The Trollmother is over twelve feet tall and has dyed her skin and hair green. She wields a small willow tree as a staff and seems to have total control of the nearly forty trolls and sixty blog blokes that serve her. Only one witness has seen her and lived, a Rider of Nesme named Colin Quent, whose patrol was ambushed by the Trollmother leading a force of ten blog blokes and five trolls. She left Quent alive so he could deliver a message to Speaker Wilcot, whom she knew by name. “Nesme is dead, realize this and your people may leave, ignore this and my wrath will be worse than anything those puny drow could conceive of delivering to your people. You have three moons to abandon this place.” Four days after Quent delivered the message, he was found dead in his barracks.

The Small Council is very concerned about the Trollmother, but has lost two more patrols searching for any further information about her. While the Council takes the threat seriously, they are not considering abandoning the city and have begun preparing the citizens for attack. Adventurer’s are being sought to bolster the defense and a bounty of fifty gold has been offered for the Trollmother’s head. Mordent Kane has even been notified of the situation and been made aware that his services may be required.

I'm importing the idea of Specialty Priests and channeling a bit of DnD 4E by treating them as Feats.

Specialty Priests of Bhaal

Deathstalker FeatPrerequisite: Cleric with Death Divine Domain• Before you make a melee attack with a dagger that you are proficient with, you can choose to take a - 5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you add +10 to the attack’s damage.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

You gain a +3 bonus to your armor class and Dexterity saving throws when wielding this

magic shield.

In addition, while attuned to the shield, if you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you can use your reaction to take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, interposing Aegis between yourself and the source of the effect. Finally, as an action one per day, you can force a creature that is within 10 feet of Aegis to make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw. A creature that fails the save begins to turn to stone and is restrained . The restrained creature must repeat the saving throw at the end of its next turn, becoming petrified on a failure or ending the effect on a success. The petrification lasts until the creature is freed by the greater restoration spell or other magic. "Aegis was made for Zeus by Hephaestus and the Cyclopes, it is made of gold and has a carving of the medusa in it's center."

Colleen Pyka was in her first year at UNLV as a Criminal Justice major with big plans to one day join the FBI. However, after getting paid for a psychological profile she was contacted by Future Perfect, a bleeding edge bioresearch firm in Oakland. She was told that her grades and psych profile made her a perfect candidate as a summer intern with their security department, which paid great and could potentially help her get into Quantico. She was attached as a security liaison to JJ Cooper's team and like them, was exposed to a strain of Terrigin Mist.However, within several hours she fell into a mysterious coma which led her to discover her astral projection talent and then her telepathy. Her astral form came into contact with a being calling himself Century, who claimed to be an extraterrestrial and warned her about Future Perfect's experiment on her. He also helped her sense that Future Perfect had dispatched personnel to kill her, but told her that he had an ally on their way to help.Colleen realized that two women were now in her hospital room with a syringe and she used her newfound telepathy to confirm they were here to kill her. She awoke from her coma and used her mental blast to subdue them both, just as a tall, dark stranger came into the room. The stranger identified himself as Simon Williams and told her his company Williams Innovations could help her. Reading his mind, she saw that he was sincere, he hoped she join a special project known as Force Works, but also that he was hiding something. She told him she would leave with him but, wouldn't make any long-term promises.He reunited her with several members of the research team she was assigned to and discovered that Future Perfect was a subsidiary of Roxxon Oil and had used them all as guinea pigs for a strain of Terrigin Mists they'd found in Iraq during the First Gulf War.For the moment she's content to help Force Works and is hellbent on toppling Future Perfect. She has grown close to Century and continues to try to figure out Simon's secret.